navigating the patent maze

The backlog of patent and trademark applications in Brazil is both staggering and sobering.  In 2005, the Patent and Trademark Office received over 23,000 patent applications and granted less than 8,000; over 100,000 trademark applications were received and only 17,000 were granted.  The backlog of about 130,000 patent applications simply cannot be dealt with in a timely fashion as the PTO has only  120 employees.  To attempt to alleviate the crunch, Brazil has approved the creation of 338 positions for Analysts and Assistants.  Don’t expect miraculous results this year however, as it will take time to hire all these new people and provide at least six months of training.